OT: Who do you want to see the Wings re-sign?

I would like to see them get Hossa long term. I know that means cutting a few guys out (most unfortunately Jiri Hudler,) but I think long term he could really be an important cog in the machine. Also, I love Chris Chelios, but the man needs to hand it up and take a scouting job for the Wings.

Hossa should be the number one target. Say what you want about him in the playoffs, he helped us get there. Its not like everybody else was shinning in the finals. Ours rookies won the first two games. Every road loss we got blanked. the only game where our stars shinned was game 5. Hudler is an important key to our third line and wish we can get him. Its time to say by to Chelios. A great hockey warrior but the game has clearly gotten past him. Stuart should be out of here. You can account him for 5 goals against (three TO's that resulted in goals and 2 goals in front of his face that he whiffed at in front of the goal. Maybe its time to say goodbye to Maltby and Draper. I know they have been great for the wings and will be beloved forever but its a business and if that means letting them go to get Hossa and Hudler then we should do it in a heartbeat.

Let Hudler, Sammy, Kopecky, Lilja, Chelios, Maltby and Conklin go. Find a few undervalued players (6th d man, 4th liner), who are hungry. Drive a ridiculously hard bargain for Hossa, and let him go if he really wants a big contract. While they have been smart with the structuring of their contracts for Franzen, Datsyuk and Zetterberg, I would be loathe to lock another player up for a long time at a big price tag. I like that Hossa is a two-way player, but I do not think it is smart have so much allocated on so few assets. I love Helm, and I think that we ought to have Abdelkader, Erickson and Leino up too. Without those aforementioned we would have the following players locked up:

with most of this. As far as the forwards, in addition to the ones you have noted, the Wings have Maltby signed at less than a million a year. I'd keep him for his presence in the locker room. The guy still has heart and could be used in the playoffs next year, mainly as injury insurance. I would also like to see Downey resigned for his physical presence during the regular season. If not, a similar enforcer type is necessary to protect the young stars.

After the playoffs, I would try to move Stuart and his 3.something million dollar salary. Unfortunately, the GMs of the other teams probably watched the finals too. Maybe we could get a third pair defenseman and have money to sign Hossa.

I'm excited about the young forwards the Wings have: Abdelkader, Leino, and Helm. They all looked good when they appeared in the playoffs. I remember Zetterberg and Datsyuk getting pushed around as young players in the playoffs, but not so with these three.

They need to sign Hossa. I would get rid of either Samuelson or Hudler and keep the other.

What I really think is Detroit needs to sign a tough North American player. Someone cut from the Dustin Bufyglien (sp?) cloth. At times we looked like we got pushed around in the playoffs. The only complaint I've had against Detroit the past few years is that we don't have a big tough North American player.

Other than that, I'd like Detroit to sign another Darren Helm. That guy has quickly become one of my most favorite players.

Hossa, Hudler and Samuelsson are the three main guys...I have some pretty strong opinions on each.

1. Hossa. He is a top 10 forward in the game, and regardless of Holland and everyone else not mentioning him on the injury report, there's no way he was healthy out there. He hurt his groin late in the regular season, and that was getting better...and then he hurt his knee in Game 5 against Chicago. Playing against the Penguins in the Finals put a terrible amount of pressure on him, and he pressed...but pressure doesn't rob you of your speed and make it look like you're skating through mud. He was hurt. So yeah, he had a bad playoffs. But you don't let an elite player walk without giving it a thought, and I believe they already have a deal in place. It will no doubt be one that makes Bettman fume some more, just like the Zetterberg and Franzen deals. But Farber from SI (reliable guy) reported they had an agreement in place, and I believe him.

2. Hudler. I've never understood the fascination with him. He's a fan favorite, and I can't understand it. He is small, not physical, and doesn't have blazing speed. He has skills on offense, but not nearly enough to offset his complete liability on defense. Go back and watch the second Pittsburgh goal in Game 7. Stuart makes a very risky pinch at the blueline...a risk that is worsened by Hudler taking a Stevie Brown-like angle toward the play. Instead of motoring out of the zone to cover for his defenseman, Hudler goes right in there, doesn't cut off Talbot, who comes out with the puck and is away on a 2 on 1. Hudler was constantly out of position throughout the entire postseason. If some team signs him to an offer sheet, it's not worth matching. He isn't worth reaching to keep.

3. Samuelsson. Help this guy pack up his things and get him the hell out of here. TERRIBLE. His effort on Pittsburgh's second goal in Game 6 sums up his "defensive" game perfectly - it doesn't exist. And he's a black hole on offense. SO sick of seeing him at the point on the second power play unit. He always shoots it, and he always misses, and it always goes off the glass, out the other side and out of the zone. He's just not a smart player. Don't even offer him anything. He's a UFA, let him walk.

As for free agents...I'd love to add Bouwmeester if he hits the market, but he'd have a price tag well beyond our range.

I've said this a lot (maybe even here), but I'm hoping against hope that Chicago is stupid enough to let Sammy Pahlsson go. He is exactly, and I mean EXACTLY the type of player the Wings need. His price would be low, because he isn't an offensive player, but he is one of the best defensive forwards in hockey, backchecks ferociously, and is tough as nails. He suffered a 1st degree shoulder separation in the first round against Calgary, worsened it to a 3rd degree against Vancouver, and didn't miss a game. Didn't even look hurt. He's a warrior, and would bring a renewed sense of defense to the Wings. Unfortunately both sides (he and the Blackhawks) have expressed interest in re-signing, so he probably won't hit the market.

Overall, the Wings drifted away from defense too much this season. The defense and goaltending coasted through the season, whether it was due to Stanley Cup hangover or just general disinterest...the offense certainly didn't. But when it came down to it, the Wings defense failed them, because they had no answers for the Pittsburgh forecheck. It's time to get back to defense. (And firing Brad McCrimmon should be task #1, by the way.)

Echoes a lot of what you have said. I think 10 years at 6 million is a little steep for Hossa. But if you could get him locked in at 7 or 8 for 5.5 million that would be a steal.

Samuelsson, for the love of God do not resign him. He is such an overrated putz. Guy scores 20 goals this year and has a +/- of 0. How is that possible? I've hated him for so long now. Losing his offense would hurt, especially when coupling it with losing Hudler (which I think is inevitable if they sign Hossa back). But getting younger, and getting better on the defensive side again would be great.

With that said I think you just let Maltby, Holmstrom and Draper ride out their contracts. Maltby and Holmstrom have 1 year and Draper has 2. They've earned the right to stay in Hockeytown until the end and they'll all be 37+ at the end of their current deals. They need to bring in players like them though to keep things fresh. Helm is a great start because he is like a more physical Draper.

On the back end you still have:
Lidstrom - Rafalski
Stuart - Kronwall
Lebda - Erickson

I think Stuart could be used in a trade with Hudler if they can get a top notch D man in return. Stuart said before he signed last year that he wanted to go to California. Would the Kings deal the JMFJ for those two and a draft pick or two? Probably not, but it is worth a shot. The JMFJ has said he wants out of LA and a homecoming would make a whole lot of people happy. He hasn't been very good in the NHL yet, but putting him in the Wings system could make him very, very good.

I love that JMFJ idea. He would truly be an asset for the Wings. He's skilled, tough, and a little dirty. All of which makes a great playoff player.

Regarding your defensive breakdown, my memory is a little fuzzy and do not remember what happened to Lilja. Anyone remember? If he is still here than that drastically increases the Wings depth , size, and grit.

Lilja's career is in doubt. He was taken out by an uppercut from Shea Weber late in the season and was badly concussed. Made some progress through the playoffs and tried to get the doctors to clear him, and then started suffering intense headaches during the Finals. At this point it's an unknown if he can ever play again.

I think the goal in game 6 was partly Helm's fault too. I believe he was the centerman on that line at the time and sammy was on the wing. He probably should have gone hard at the guy behind the net there and counted on defensive rotation, but his man is at the point and he is the third option to cover a man down low (behind the center and the defensemen). Also, the thought of Pahlsson on the wings makes me all tingly inside

Assume the cap stays the same (~56.7 million). Next year, the Red Wings have ALREADY signed contracts worth 51.2 million dollars. That leaves them with 5.5 million to spend.

Who do they lose? Hossa, Samuelsson, Hudler, Kopecky, Chelios, and Conklin. The Wings can go without signing a defenseman, but they need to fill all four forward spots and get a back up goalie. You're probably talking 0.75 million for a goalie, and probably 1.25 million for Leino (will be a RFA), and Helm has another year on his contract at 0.6 million. They can probably sign a role player or bring up another player from the AHL at 0.5 million.

That leaves you with 2.4 million to spend on your last forward. Actually, less than that. You NEVER want to be right up against the cap, just in case you need to make any moves. So lets say 2 million. You'd have to sign Hossa till he's 50 to get a cap hit like that. The guy will be able to get 7 million a year for multiple years in free agency. I know players take discounts to stay on a good team, but that'd be insane for him to take a deal like that.

The only way Detroit can afford it is if they move some players off their roster before the year starts. I know Stuart might be everyone's first choice, but if we don't want him, why would anyone else? His contract is pretty big (3.75 million), and he won't be very attractive unless you attach a player/prospect like Helm. Personally, I'd like to see them dump Rafalski. 6 million a year is way too much for a slow, afraid to hit defenseman. Again though, that contract is too big, and will be hard to move. If you move Filppula and either Holmstrom or Cleary, you'd probably be able to clear enough space to sign Hossa and fill the necessary spots at forward.

Still, I don't find this likely. I see Hossa walking, and the Wings trying to get a decent role player with their extra cash. They may be able to get a decent player if Lilja can't come back, but no one in the realm of Hossa. You can dream, but it isn't happening with this current roster. They'll have to give up someone good to clear space for Hossa, and I just don't see that happening.

Re-sign Hossa if you can between $5-$6 Mil,
Pray Chelios and Maltby call it a career,
No thanks to Kopecky,
Sign Helm, Abdelkader, and Ericsson long term
Trade Filppula and his $3 million salary,
Sign Jay Bouwmeester

Wings should just re-sign everyone from the 2008 Stanley Cup team, along with Leino and Abdelkader, and let Hossa go. If this year's playoffs demonstrate anything, it's the importance of depth. If the Wings pony up $6MM+ for Hossa, they won't have any money left over for Hudler and Samuelsson, not to mention giving the inevitable pay raises that Abdelkader, Leino, Helm, and Ericsson eventually are going to get. The Wings probably have to let go Holmstrom and Maltby too. Holmstrom looked too beat up this year to be effective and he was nonexistent in the playoffs. Hossa would be worth $6-$7MM for a team like Edmonton or Nashville that would be happy to just make the playoffs, but not for a team like Detroit which needs guys who can score lots in the post season. If you add up all the playoff games where Hossa wasn't playing with Sydney Crosby, he has 19 goals in 76 games. That's not worth $6MM by a long shot. More like $4MM tops.